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How the U.S. Can Help Clean Up the UNRWA Mess

(Politico) Jonathan Schanzer and Richard Goldberg - The U.S. is the largest single state donor to UNRWA, an organization that provides welfare assistance to the Palestinian Arab refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and millions of their descendants. Since 1950, Joe Q. taxpayer has contributed $6 billion to UNRWA - more than $1 billion in the past four years alone. What are we getting for our money? If the U.S. is expected to continue as UNRWA's biggest benefactor, the management of the agency needs to fundamentally change. The U.S. should assume a permanent role in the agency's governance, including the installation of an American diplomat as its chair. With that title ought to come the basic oversight prerogatives reserved for any nonprofit's board of directors and top donors - establishment of performance metrics, evaluation of key staff, freedom to audit any program or expenditure, and the ability to shape the mission, mandate and future of the organization. There must be a plan to move UNRWA's 5 million dependents from international welfare to self-sufficiency. The culture of hopelessness and permanent dependency breeds terrorism and violence. By contrast, economic self-sufficiency and advancement produce peace and tolerance. Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Richard Goldberg is a senior advisor.
2018-01-26 00:00:00
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